Largest lakes & reservoirs in Pennsylvania by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 40 articles we have published for Pennsylvania lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Mid-Atlantic Region > Pennsylvania > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Pennsylvania, only the 40 Pennsylvania lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie (Canada, Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, NY, Great Lakes Region, PA, Great Lakes of North America, Greater Niagara Region, NY, Michigan, New York, Northeast Ohio, Northwest Ohio, Ohio, Ontario, Canada, Pennsylvania, Southeast Michigan, US Mid-Atlantic Region, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6,261,500 ac | Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes of North America, straddles the borders of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and the Canadian province of Onta … |
| Pymatuning Lake, PA/OH (Great Lakes Region, PA, Northeast Ohio, Ohio, Pennsylvania, US Mid-Atlantic Region, US Midwest Region, USA) |
17,088 ac | Also known as Pymatuning Reservoir Pymatuning Lake, located in northwestern Pennsylvania and spilling over into northeastern Ohio, is a lake of superlatives: Clocking in at 17,088 acres … |
| Allegheny Reservoir, NY/PA (Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, NY, New York, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Wilds Region, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
12,080 ac | Also known as Kinzua Dam Lake, Kinzua Lake, Lake Kinzua Flowing across tree-covered hills in northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York, the Allegheny Reservoir’s 12,080 acres provide an open invit … |
| Raystown Lake, PA (Allegheny Mountains & Valleys Region, PA, Pennsylvania, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
8,300 ac | Raystown Lake, at 8,300 acres, is the largest lake located entirely within Pennsylvania’s borders. The lake is nestled in the southern Allegheny Mount … |
| Lake Wallenpaupack, PA (Northeastern Mountains Region, PA, Pennsylvania, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
5,700 ac | Lake Wallenpaupack is a prime recreation destination in northeast Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains region, nestled among the counties of Hawley, Pike, … |
| Shenango River Lake, PA/OH (Great Lakes Region, PA, Northeast Ohio, Ohio, Pennsylvania, US Mid-Atlantic Region, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,560 ac | Also known as Shenango Reservoir Located mostly in northwestern Pennsylvania between Greenville PA and Sharon PA – and spilling into northeastern Ohio – Shenango River Lake provides f … |
| Lake Arthur, PA (Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh & Countryside Region, PA, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
3,225 ac | In the warm summer breeze, sailboats dart like flocks of colorful birds across Lake Arthur’s clear Pennsylvania waters. Located in Butler County, this … |
| Youghiogheny River Lake (Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh & Countryside Region, PA, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
2,840 ac | Also known as Yough Lake In the heart of the Laurel Highlands and spanning the Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland lays Youghiogheny River Lake. The U.S. Army C … |
| Lake Wilhelm, PA (Great Lakes Region, PA, Pennsylvania, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
1,860 ac | Lake Wilhelm was created in 1971 with the damming of Sandy Creek for flood control purposes. Lake Wilhelm is a shallow lake with a maximum depth of ab … |
| Lake Nockamixon, PA (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia & Countryside Region, PA, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
1,450 ac | Lake Nockamixon, located in the 5,283 acre Nockamixon State Park, is located in southeastern Pennsylvania’s Bucks County. The 1,450 acre reservoir is … |
| Lake Marburg (Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dutch Country Region, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
1,275 ac | Also known as Codorus Lake Pennsylvania Dutch Country near Hanover, Pennsylvania holds a spectacular recreational resource called Lake Marburg. This 1,300-acre reservoir combine … |
| East Branch Clarion River Lake, PA (Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Wilds Region, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
1,160 ac | Also known as East Branch Lake, East Branch Reservoir East Branch Clarion River Lake, also known as East Branch Lake, is aptly named: it was created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1952 by … |